Shocking! Nine Students Committed Suicide At University Of Hyderabad In The Past Ten Years

Rohith Vemula's isn't the first suicide by a Dalit student on the University of Hyderabad campus.

Over the last decade a string of suicides have rocked the central varsity highlighting the pronounced discrimination against students from the marginalized sections at UoH, say city educationists.

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Eight Dalit students committed suicide during this period, unable to cope with what has been termed as caste politics.

"Eight suicides is not a small number, but the university has still not woken up to the issues of Dalit students. Rohith's death only highlights a larger issue of caste-based discrimination prevailing on campus," said Zuhail KP, president of the UoH Students Union, on Monday.

Vemula's death has also brought to the fore certain issues which students allege that the administration has been brushing under the carpet for years.

Educationists assert that Dalit students are often looked down upon on the campus. "Most non-Dalits look down on them as sub humans, and often taunt, humiliate and victimise them. This is a national disgrace. Unless this feudal mindset is destroyed our country cannot progress," Markandey Katju, former chairman of the Press Council of India, wrote on his Facebook wall.

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In 2013, M Venkatesh, a PhD scholar committed suicide owing to the alleged discrimination against Dalit students on the campus.

Educationists and students ascribe the growing number of suicides to lack of financial assistance and support system to help Dalit students in their academic pursuits. This often forces several students to quit education in the middle.

"Although the government provides financial assistance, delayed fellowships to research scholars forces many to quit in middle. Rohith's is a best example as he didn't receive fellowship for a long time," said Lenin Kumar, a student leader of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

In 2008, Senthil Kumar, a PhD scholar from School of Physics had allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison in the hostel room. According to reports, even Senthil had stopped receiving fellowship due to backlogs in his course.

"The university needs to have a proper mechanism to look into issues related to Dalit students. Only providing resources may not be enough," said E Haribabu, former vice-chancellor of UoH. "The university needs to conduct special counselling sessions for scholars. Special skill-based courses may help them overcome their weaknesses," he added.